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Caterpillar Cottage Preschool

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Caterpillar Cottage Preschool

  • About
    • Our Story
    • Philosophy
    • Meet Heather
    • Parent Reviews
    • Parent Involvement
  • At a Glance
  • Enrollment
  • Blog
  • Contact

Parenting Without Being a Dictator or a Doormat

February 1, 2024 Heather Malley and Susan North

“Remember, you are the boss, a wise, equitable, loving, and consistent one.”

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Tags Parenting

Tell, Don't Ask!

December 1, 2023 Heather Malley

“Echoing these emotions can coexist with holding the limit.”

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Tags Parenting

Listening to children: the importance of respecting emotional process

November 1, 2023 Heather Malley

“Expecting a child to listen to reason when they are flooded with emotion isn't realistic.”

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Tags Our-Philosophy, Parenting

Children and the News: Processing Hard Topics

December 9, 2022 Heather Malley

I recently came across a wonderful episode of Mr. Rogers for parents, produced a very long time ago, when Kennedy was assassinated…

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Tags Parenting

Finding a Preschool

December 1, 2022 Heather Malley

Once I became a parent and needed childcare, it was a frustrating and overwhelming experience looking for a high quality program that had space…

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Tags School, Parenting

10 Tips for Supporting Self-Confidence in Young Children

October 20, 2022 Heather Malley

“When we feel good about our own capacity to succeed at the things we attempt, we are more likely to try new things, to keep trying, to enjoy the process, and to learn as we go.”

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Tags Parenting

Daily Flow with Young Children at Home

March 27, 2020 Heather Malley and Susan North

Rituals and routines can be centering for children and parents, providing a flow to the day that is calming and reassuring. This structure…

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Tags Parenting

Fostering Autonomy in Children

January 30, 2019 Heather Malley

“Adults want to teach and help but what we do in that vein may not actually be helpful to our children’s learning.”

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Tags Parenting

Thoughts about a book and parenting trends

November 7, 2018 Heather Malley

“Our saving grace in conscious and connected parenting is that we know we will make mistakes, we understand that trying is more important than failing, and that forgiveness comes easily when love is true.”

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Tags Parenting

Media and Screen-Time: Tips and Guidelines

October 29, 2018 Heather Malley

“Just because it’s attractive and they like it, doesn’t mean they should have access to it.”

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Tags Screens, Parenting
Older Posts →
  • March 2025
    • Mar 3, 2025 Filling Your Child’s Connection Cup & Why It Matters Mar 3, 2025
  • April 2024
    • Apr 26, 2024 Ways to Approach Childhood Fears Apr 26, 2024
    • Apr 12, 2024 The Child’s World is a Creative World Apr 12, 2024
  • March 2024
    • Mar 19, 2024 4 Questions Parents Ask About Kindergarten Readiness Mar 19, 2024
  • February 2024
    • Feb 1, 2024 Parenting Without Being a Dictator or a Doormat Feb 1, 2024
  • January 2024
    • Jan 1, 2024 Child-led Versus Teacher-led Art Jan 1, 2024
  • December 2023
    • Dec 1, 2023 Tell, Don't Ask! Dec 1, 2023
  • November 2023
    • Nov 15, 2023 Learning About Our Approach: The importance of empathy and strong connections in early relationships Nov 15, 2023
    • Nov 1, 2023 Listening to children: the importance of respecting emotional process Nov 1, 2023
  • April 2023
    • Apr 12, 2023 Heather featured in Shoutout LA Apr 12, 2023
  • December 2022
    • Dec 9, 2022 Children and the News: Processing Hard Topics Dec 9, 2022
    • Dec 1, 2022 Finding a Preschool Dec 1, 2022
  • October 2022
    • Oct 20, 2022 10 Tips for Supporting Self-Confidence in Young Children Oct 20, 2022
  • December 2021
    • Dec 1, 2021 Heather's Keynote Address on Connecting with Children Dec 1, 2021
  • November 2021
    • Nov 1, 2021 Learning About Our Approach: The reasons why "good job" is not a usual part of our teacher vocabulary Nov 1, 2021
  • August 2020
    • Aug 6, 2020 How We Choose Children's Books at Caterpillar Cottage Aug 6, 2020
    • Aug 6, 2020 Resources for Parents during the Pandemic Aug 6, 2020
  • July 2020
    • Jul 17, 2020 Why I Wrote My First Two Children’s Books During This Pandemic Jul 17, 2020
  • March 2020
    • Mar 27, 2020 Daily Flow with Young Children at Home Mar 27, 2020
    • Mar 3, 2020 Helping Children be Patient when Adults are Having a Conversation Mar 3, 2020
  • January 2019
    • Jan 30, 2019 Fostering Autonomy in Children Jan 30, 2019
  • November 2018
    • Nov 7, 2018 Thoughts about a book and parenting trends Nov 7, 2018
  • October 2018
    • Oct 29, 2018 Media and Screen-Time: Tips and Guidelines Oct 29, 2018
  • May 2018
    • May 3, 2018 Talking with our Children about Death and Dying May 3, 2018
  • June 2017
    • Jun 4, 2017 The Trouble with Bribes Jun 4, 2017
  • October 2016
    • Oct 12, 2016 I can't let you hurt me - setting loving limits with young children about physical safety Oct 12, 2016
    • Oct 12, 2016 Emotionally Supportive Tools: Special Time/Laughter/Vigorous play/and Empathy Books Oct 12, 2016
    • Oct 12, 2016 How do I know when to just listen with love versus problem-solve? Oct 12, 2016
    • Oct 12, 2016 Why do our children have such flooded, intense, upset or angry moments? Oct 12, 2016
  • May 2016
    • May 26, 2016 “Me First!” When Young Children are Worried About Winning, Being First or Being Best May 26, 2016
  • March 2016
    • Mar 2, 2016 War and Gun Play: Understanding the Influences in Children's Play, Responding Responsively Mar 2, 2016
  • December 2015
    • Dec 4, 2015 Parenting article: Viewing Children's Emotions Through a Connection Lens Dec 4, 2015
  • April 2015
    • Apr 16, 2015 Why is there so much free time and playdough at preschool? Apr 16, 2015
    • Apr 11, 2015 Finding an Elementary School Apr 11, 2015
  • December 2014
    • Dec 16, 2014 Director's Thoughts: Heather's Personal Reflections about Parenting Dec 16, 2014
  • October 2014
    • Oct 31, 2014 Illuminating our Practice: Apologies at Preschool Oct 31, 2014
  • April 2014
    • Apr 2, 2014 Learning Through Play at Caterpillar Cottage: Examples of Play-Based Mathematical Learning Apr 2, 2014
  • July 2013
    • Jul 7, 2013 Learning About Our Approach: Child-Initiated Work, Practicing Patience and Intentional Inhibition Jul 7, 2013
  • December 2012
    • Dec 7, 2012 Learning About Our Approach: How we support children in learning self-help skills Dec 7, 2012
  • July 2012
    • Jul 25, 2012 Child-Centered Toilet Learning Jul 25, 2012

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